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Sports awards should be named after sportspersons, says Maj Dhyan Chand’s son
LUCKNOW UP’s sports fraternity welcomed the government’s decision to rechristen the Khel Ratna in the honour of Major Dhyan Chand, saying that the country’s highest sporting honour was now named after India’s greatest hockey player
LUCKNOW UP’s sports fraternity welcomed the government’s decision to rechristen the Khel Ratna in the honour of Major Dhyan Chand, saying that the country’s highest sporting honour was now named after India’s greatest hockey player.
Dhyan Chand’s three gold medals at consecutive Olympic Games in 1928, 1932 and 1936 were still the best-ever by any Indian sportsperson in the world.
Ashok Kumar, son of Dhyan Chand, welcomed the government’s move, saying: “Dhyan Chand belongs to the whole country and hockey is our national game. Sports awards should be named after sportspersons. This Khel Ratna was first named after honourable Rajiv Gandhi but it’s better to name these awards after sportspersons connected with it. Our country and our Prime Minister took notice of this today, because of the increasing popularity of hockey now.”
There celebrations in Prayagraj, where Dhyan Chand was born on August 29 in 1905; Jhansi and Lucknow, where he spent his playing days. His fans distributed sweets to mark the renaming of the award. Khel Ratna awardees get a prize of ₹25 lakh.
Ashok Kumar also showered praise on the Indian hockey teams at the Tokyo Games. “Our men’s team won a medal and the women’s side won hearts. The entire country is celebrating their performances. It’s a big occasion for all of us,” he said.
He thanked the nation for keeping Dhyan Chand’s name alive. “There is no doubt that athletes and sports fans have kept Major Dhyan Chand’s name alive even today. And now this Khel Ratna award will take that legacy forward. He (Dhyan Chand) is still alive in our hearts.”
Uttar Pradesh Hockey, the official unit of the Games’ governing body, Hockey India, too welcomed the PM’s announcement to rename the award after Major Dhyan Chand.
“It’s a great moment for Uttar Pradesh Hockey as we all grew up hearing the tales of Dhyan Chand Ji on the hockey field. He has been the ideal of all hockey players in India. In our playing days, we all wanted to play like him,” said RP Singh, who also happens to be a former India hockey captain.
“Most of our hockey astro turf stadiums in UP (14) are already named after Major Dhyan Chand. The stadium in his name at the Guru Gobind Singh Sports College here has witnessed many big events like 2016 Junior Men’s Hockey World Cup and Gold Cup Tournament in the past,” he said.
“It’s a golden double for UP, as after the success of hockey players like Lalit Kumar Upadhyay and Vandana Katariya at the Tokyo Games, we got to see the government renaming the sports award in the name of Major Dhyand Chand,” added Singh, who is also UP’s sports director.
